In Colindale, new tower blocks cut up the sky. But, the development of new housing has come at a cost. It is estimated that more than 5,000 people and 38 buildings in Barnet are affected by dangerous cladding materials leaving residents “trapped” in homes that breach fire safety regulations and cannot be resold.

Leaseholders from the Heybourne Crescent development in Colindale, which includes the blocks Iris Court, Violet Court and Lark Court, have formed the Heybourne Cladding Action Group to campaign against the price for removal of combustible cladding materials on their buildings. Their action comes after finding out they were ineligible for a government grant to cover the costs of removal.

On 5th June, 20 leaseholders, joined a day of nationwide protests at sales offices around the country, targeting the developers of their homes, Countryside Properties. They arrived at the company’s offices in Chipping Barnet on a warm Saturday afternoon holding signs aloft reading, “Countryside sold us death traps”. Soon, the quiet on Brook Valley Gardens was punctuated by chants demanding that the developers pay the price for the removal of the cladding.

Combustible cladding was responsible for 72 deaths in Grenfell Tower in 2017. Since then, a government enquiry into the fire has been gathering evidence to establish the causes. One outcome of the disaster was stricter fire safety regulations and many leaseholders across the UK had their buildings surveyed to assess if unsafe materials had been used. Violet Court in Heybourne Crescent is one such building and, here, leaseholders struggle to understand why they have been slapped with a large bill for the repairs.

Of the protest, Charlotte Daus, a resident of Violet Court, said:

“The protest was attended by leaseholders and residents affected by the cladding scandal at the sales offices of the developers who have built our unsafe homes.

“Countryside should not be able to profit from Barnet regeneration whilst they have still not taken full responsibility for defects on their homes at Phase 1a of Grahame Park, on Heybourne Crescent NW9.

“We got a great turnout and loads of support from passers-by and motorists.”

The question – who pays? – is at the heart of this protest. Bills of up to £60,000 for repairs mean the group is concerned the removal of unsafe materials could bankrupt them. They believe that residents who bought flats in the building, with no knowledge of the combustible materials used on the outside, should not be responsible for the costs of repairs.

Alexandra Kubiakowska lives in Iris Court. She told the Post that cladding was removed from a connected block in 2017 shortly after Grenfell.

Alexandra said: “We were told not to be alarmed. By late 2020 we realised we had the very same ACM cladding as Grenfell.

In June, Alexandra received a Section 20 notice to pay for the replacement of materials on the balconies of her home.

She said: “I have no idea of the cost yet as estimations and quotes are still being sought, they could be anything from £1,000 upward. Who has that kind of money on tap? We are in the midst of a pandemic, many people have been furloughed and the lack of support and silence from our government is astonishing.”

Alexandra emphasises that combustible cladding has trapped millions of leaseholders, just like her, in unsafe homes. If the cladding is not removed then the flats in which they live can never be resold.

A Countryside spokesperson said:

“We consider fire safety and the quality of the construction of our buildings to be an absolute priority. We are sympathetic to the challenges faced by some leaseholders.

“We are working with free-holders and managing agents across historical developments to comply with all government requirements and to ensure they meet all regulations at the time of build.”

In a Twitter post supporting the protests, Barnet Transformed, a campaign group of local people working on social issues in the borough, called the ‘cladding crisis’ a symptom of the “wider housing crisis” felt in Barnet. New homes have been built at speed, particularly around Colindale ward, to help alleviate the housing deficit felt across the borough.

And many of the leaseholders in these new developments brought affordable housing to try and get a foot on the property ladder.

Alexandra said: “My husband bought into the shared ownership scheme back in 2012 following government advice that this was the right thing to do if you wanted to get onto the property ladder.

“We trusted them and we trusted the developer (Countryside) who built our property. Both have let us down. Both refuse to take responsibility, the government to legislate, the developer to remove the cladding.

“Looking at the buildings around the new Countryside developments, I really hope we are not looking at another new build safety scandal but who knows what is hidden behind the walls, within the insulation and everything else of these buildings?”

Although the most vocal, Heybourne Cladding Action group are not the only residents who are demanding support for this issue.

Labour Cllr. Gill Sargeant of Colindale Ward spoke on behalf of the three Colindale councillors:

“As councillors. We have been inundated with concerns regarding the uncertainty faced by residents. They have had difficulty getting mortgages, selling their properties and living with the fear of the costs of repair and the safety of their properties.

“One resident said she unplugs all her electrical equipment before she leaves the property.

Labour are calling on the government to ensure the costs of repair are met and to end the despair of residents.”

Fellow Colindale councillor Nagus Narenthira, added:

“I continue to work with residents enduring this appalling situation. The residents did nothing wrong and have been failed by deregulation, shoddy building and general disinterest from this government.

“The government must sort out this mess and ensure that homes are safe and leaseholders protected from costs.”

Until that time comes, Heybourne Cladding Action continues to protest, calling out #WeAreTrapped on social-media, but who, they wonder, is listening?